Self-awareness is an investment with well-documented benefits: better relationships, higher-performing teams, more competent leadership, lower stress. Generally, life is better being self-aware.
For most people, self-awareness doesn’t come naturally. It takes some work. But where to start?
When talking about project success, you start with people. There are tons of resources on building teams, getting the right people in the right seats, empowering and motivating employees, and more. But, before diving into all of that, start with the most important person: You.
This isn’t a self-indulgent, you’re so important, only you can do it, cheerleading essay, though. This is a quick read about self-awareness.
External Self Awareness
How many times a day do you look in the mirror? 5-10 times, easy… getting ready in the morning, every time you wash your hands, after a meal to make sure no lunch leftover is stuck in your teeth (how long has that been there?).
All that looking in the mirror and yet it is easy to forget what we look like. It is the same with our personality. We have a hard time understanding and internalizing how others interpret our actions. Becoming cognizant of how others perceive you is what developing external self-awareness is all about.
Personality tests are an easy way to get a view of what we look like, kind of like that check in the mirror. You’ve probably taken one, read the description of your type, and thought, “Wow, that is so me!” We quickly forget, though, and so it never hurts to re-check ourselves in the psychology mirror.
- Get a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) code (if you don’t know it already). Here’s a quick and free one: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test.
- Read about your personality type. There are tons of resources out there, such as: https://www.personalitypage.com/html/high-level.html. Just remember, this is a tool, a classification system to help understand personality. It doesn’t determine your behavior or outcomes.
- Now that you’ve looked in the mirror, consider how others see and interact with you based on that. Need help? https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/2018/10/16/how-others-see-you-based-on-your-personality-type/.
The other type of self-awareness is internal self-awareness. How well do you understand yourself and how you respond or react in different situations?
Internal Self Awareness
We were taught as kids to control our impulses and “think before you act!” Good advice, but as you get older you realize that it takes work to think and understand a situation. You are making decisions in a dynamic environment with a lot of variables to process, one of which is you.
And that’s where mindfulness comes in. By practicing mindfulness on a regular basis you can become more aware of your thoughts and feelings as they happen. That’s developing internal self-awareness and it can help you make better decisions.
It is a trendy topic right now because it is easier than ever to get started. There are apps you can download on your phone that will get you started with short, guided meditations. A couple to look at are Calm (www.calm.com) and Headspace (www.headspace.com). There are also lots of resources on the Internet such as https://www.mindful.org/.
Do What Works for You
I encourage you to invest in both internal and external self-awareness. Even if these ideas don’t do it for you, find something that does. Spending a little time on yourself will yield dividends in all your endeavors, including projects.
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Brian